Abstract
PREVIOUS accounts of the soundings of the U.S. steamer Tuscarora in the North Pacific Ocean, with reference to laying a cable between America and Japan, have described the work accomplished sailing from the Asiatic coast up to lat. 41° 09′ N., long. 144° 01′ E., after two projected routes had been tried and abandoned. From that point the Tuscarora went to Hakodadi to obtain a supply of coal, and thence sailed to lat. 46° 38′ N., long. 151° 47′ E., from which point soundings were taken on a backward line to the position which was left to go to Hakodadi; the backward line skirting the shores of the Kurile Islands. All the soundings are taken at intervals of 29 or 30 miles. Upon the new route thus surveyed from Yokohama, for a distance of 1,000 miles, the depths range from 300 to 2,270 fathoms, the greatest declivity being 161 ft. to the mile, between lat. 40° 10′ N., long. 142° 57′ E., and lat. 41° 09′ N., long. 144° 01′ E. The depth gradually increased between lat. 47° 44′ N., long. 154° 15′ E. and lat. 50° 19′ N., long. 159° 39′ E. (a distance of 260 miles), at the rate of about 60 ft. to the mile; the depth at the point last named being 3,754 fathoms. The course thence was through open water between the Kamschatkan coast and the Aleutian Islands; but just before entering the latter group the steepest declivity was found that has been met with during this survey. The preceding and succeeding coasts, each at a distance of 29 miles, gave depths of 2,460 fathoms, while this one, in lat. 52° 06′ N., long. 171° 15′ E., gave 4,037 fathoms, a slope of at least 3.26 ft. to the mile. Thence to lat. 51° 58′ N., long. 174° 31′ E. (about three miles from Atchka Island), the water shoaled to 332 fathoms, rising at the rate of 187 ft. to a mile. From the last-named position to Tanaga Island the depths ranged from 200 to 1,800 fathoms, including only one remarkable declivity, which was between lat. 51° 08′ N., long. 178° 35′ W., and lat. 51° 28′ N., long. 177° 57′ W., where the slope was 250 ft. to the mile.
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Soundings and Currents in the North Pacific Ocean . Nature 10, 484–485 (1874). https://doi.org/10.1038/010484a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/010484a0